An Israeli tourist was viciously attacked outside a Jewish deli in New York City after the assailant ripped off his kippah and questioned him about his religion.
Rami Glickstein, 59, of Ofra, was attacked outside Mr. Broadway, a Kosher deli in Midtown Manhattan, on Tuesday after his attacker refused to let him inside the restaurant.
The attacker allegedly ripped off Glickstein’s kippah – a traditional skullcap – and spat on it after questioning his religion.
He then allegedly began punching the Israeli educator ‘very, very strongly,’ his wife, Rivi Ben Noon Glickstein, told JNS.
‘My husband couldn’t fight against him,’ she said.
Glickstein was taken to the Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in a stable condition after police were called.
Doctors found he had blood on his brain and a broken nose, his wife said.
The couple are in the Big Apple for a nine-day vacation.
Rami Glickstein, 59, of Ofra, Israel, was attacked outside Mr. Broadway, a Kosher deli in Midtown, on Tuesday after his attacker refused to let him inside the restaurant
The attacker allegedly ripped off Glickstein’s kippah, a circular headpiece worn by Jewish men, and spitting on it after questioning his religion outside the restaurant (pictured). Then punched him several times, causing Glickstein to have blood on the brain
They have visited New York City many times before and said it felt ‘so strange’ to experience antisemitism in the country.
‘For me, it’s like 1939,’ Noon Glickstein told JNS.
Adolf Hitler and his forces invaded Poland in September 1939, beginning World War II. At least 5,000 Jews were killed just weeks afterward. By the end of the war, six million Jews were killed by Nazi forces.
The Consul General of Israel in New York, Ofir Akunis, condemned the attack and offered the couple the consulate’s full services.
‘This attack is a direct result of the daily incitement taking place around the world, including in the United States, against Jews and against Israel,’ he said, according to JNS.
‘Lies, verbal violence, calls for another October 7 massacre, and the unrestricted spread of blood libels, such as the false Gaza narrative, influence many people, some of whom do not hesitate to commit physical attacks.’
Akunis also called for national and local leaders to condemn the attack.
Glickstein’s attacker is still on the loose and the NYPD is investigating, a spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
Glickstein, an educator and lecturer for the Israeli Defense Forces, vowed to go back to the deli, despite his injuries
‘My husband couldn’t fight against him,’ his wife, Rivi Ben Noon Glickstein, said. The couple are in the Big Apple for a nine-day vacation
Glickstein, an educator and lecturer for the Israeli Defense Forces, vowed to go back to the deli, despite his injuries, he wrote on Facebook.
‘I won’t let him win,’ he wrote in Hebrew.
Israelis and Jews have faced an increasing threat of antisemitism since Hamas attacked Israeli on October 7, 2023.
The Anti-Defamation League recorded nearly 1,000 antisemitic incidents taking place in the Big Apple in 2024, with the majority of them taking place in Manhattan.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Mr. Broadway for comment.
